Director of Engineering, Forward Deployed Engineering

Hadrian is building autonomous factories to reindustrialize America by combining AI, advanced software, robotics, and full-stack manufacturing to help aerospace and defense companies build rockets, satellites, aircraft, ships, and other mission-critical systems. The Forward Deployed team embeds on Hadrian's largest and most critical programs with the U.S. Government, the Armed Forces, and major defense primes, adapting the product (including the Opus AI-driven manufacturing autonomy platform) to customer needs. As Director, the role leads the Forward Deployed team across one or more programs and is responsible for their technical outcomes, working directly with government representatives, customers, and Hadrian's leadership teams.

Responsibilities

Own the technical roadmap and delivery, taking programs from the first ambiguous conversation to running in production; Bring program learnings to platform teams and decide which Forward Deployed products should become part of Opus; Own the executive relationship on the technical side as the primary technical contact for customer program leadership, government stakeholders, and prime partners; Build and lead the team by hiring and growing engineers, product managers, and designers on the program; Stay hands-on, including building the v0 early in a program and reviewing what the team ships

Requirements

Highly commercial technical leader with excellent product judgment; Demonstrated history leading engineering and product teams and scaling a product from zero to one; Strong with external and internal executives, with experience owning senior customer relationships and delivering on commitments made on behalf of a company; Product taste, with end-to-end shipping experience; Hands-on technical, comfortable supporting architecture and review as well as taking ideas from design to delivery; AI-native, using AI to compress discovery through execution and having rebuilt how a team works around it; Experience hiring builders into ambiguous roles and getting them productive fast; Driven by the mission and tempo of rebuilding the industrial base; Must be a U.S. citizen or national, lawful permanent resident, protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State (ITAR)

Nice to have

Founder or founding-team experience, especially managing customer relationships and business decisions while still building; Background in aerospace, defense, manufacturing, or where hardware, software, and operations intersect; Forward-deployed or solutions leadership at a product company

Benefits

Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance plans; 401k; Relocation support may be provided for certain situations, based on business need; Flexible vacation policy; Equity